Ciman’s agent described the trade, which came two weeks before Christmas, as a “kick in the teeth” to the player and his family. Ciman and his wife, Diana, were shocked and couldn’t sleep that night, wondering what the future would hold for their 8-year-old daughter, Nina, who is autistic. The main reason the Belgian international defender decided to sign with the Impact was because his wife had done research and learned Quebec could provide the specialized care Nina needed in French that wasn’t available in their home country.

The Cimans, who also have a younger son named Achille, built a home in Montreal and were planning to settle here. But that all changed when Garde traded the 32-year-old defender to Los Angeles FC in exchange for midfielder Raheem Edwards and left back Jukka Raitala, two players who had been acquired by LAFC in the MLS expansion draft.

Two months into the MLS season, things are working out much better for Ciman and LAFC than they are for the Impact.

Ciman scored a goal in a second straight game Sunday night as LAFC defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 in the expansion club’s first home game at the new Banc of California Stadium — a 22,000-seat, soccer-specific facility that cost US$350 million to build. The win improved LAFC’s record to 5-2-0 after the Impact fell to 2-6-0 with a 4-1 road loss to Atlanta United FC on Saturday.

Ciman’s goal Sunday was like something out of a Hollywood script, coming three minutes into extra time at the end of the game on a free kick from just over 30 yards out. The sellout crowd — which included actor Will Ferrell and basketball legend Magic Johnson, who are part of the ownership group led by Peter Gruber, the chairman and CEO of the Mandalay Entertainment Group — went wild as gold smoke poured from the stands.

Ciman’s previous goal could also be part of a Hollywood script, coming at Saputo Stadium the previous weekend — also on a free kick — in LAFC’s 5-3 win over the Impact in his first trip back to Montreal.

“I thought about my wife and my children because that was the first thing that came to my mind,” Ciman told reporters at Saputo Stadium after that game. “And today I had the good fortune to score on that free kick. … Listen, today was a perfect day for me, in the atmosphere before the game during the warmup, and the atmosphere during the game, and the atmosphere after the game. I was cheered when I scored. Montreal is always in my heart.”

Ciman’s two goals in seven games with LAFC match his total from three seasons and 85 games with the Impact.

“(Scoring goals) wasn’t something that we picked up on when we brought him here,” LAFC coach Bob Bradley told reporters in Los Angeles after Sunday’s game. “We picked up on his leadership, (that) he plays with emotion, passion. When you play out of the back, he’s a guy who can make passes, so you have all those things. He’s been great since he arrived. He’s a good leader, so now the fact that he’s been able to tack on some goals, it’s extra.”

French defender Zakaria Diallo, signed by Garde during the off-season to replace Ciman with the Impact, suffered a torn Achilles tendon during training at the end of February that put him on the sidelines for five to six months. Before the Impact practised Tuesday at Centre Nutrilait, Garde was asked if he was starting to have regrets about trading Ciman.

“I think we have been struggling because we had a very bad injury with Zakaria Diallo three days before the starting of the league,” Garde said. “It was something that was very difficult to cope (with). We have also problems, physical problems later, and suspensions in this part of the field. I regret that I cannot play with the same pair of players in front of (goalkeeper) Evan Bush, which is always key for a team to have continuity in this part of the field.”

The Impact have given up a league-worst 21 goals in eight games and their minus-11 goal differential is also the worst in MLS. They are on pace to give up 89 goals, 31 more than last season, and are on pace to score 42, 10 less than last year when they missed the playoffs with an 11-17-6 record.

This season is still young, but the Impact are already six points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They need to get their act together, starting with Saturday’s game at Saputo Stadium against the New England Revolution (1 p.m., TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690).

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